Communication Sciences

What is the objective of the course? What is it?
What does it train you for?

Communication Sciences is a strongly interdisciplinary program that provides the theoretical foundations, methodological tools and technical knowledge to understand the world of contemporary communication and be able to act within it. The different specializations of the course reflect the professional fields for which the degree prepares and are chosen after a common first year in which the necessary foundations are provided to perceive and understand the complexity of communication phenomena. They are:

• Information and Social Media;
• Public Communication;
• Publishing and Cultural Design;
• Visual Culture;
• Marketing and Advertising.

Each of these paths offers the opportunity to delve into the functioning of specific media, their peculiar communicative artifacts, the languages they use, the variables and strategies that can be employed to achieve specific results, and the techniques for measuring the effectiveness of different communicative actions. Because of the characteristics of its object of study, the course is distinctly contemporary, when not future-oriented. Moreover, because of the great impact that technology has on communicative processes, it presupposes constant attention to innovation and to the way in which transformations in the technological devices that are used to communicate affect communication itself and the relationships it creates.

What do you learn?

The interdisciplinary nature that characterizes the course in Communication Sciences, that is, the coexistence of teaching from areas that cover both so-called humanistic disciplines and those of a more technical/scientific nature, stems from the complexity of communicative phenomena. Indeed, it obliges one to constantly keep in mind both types of study, which precisely in communication find a necessary synthesis. Sociological, linguistic, philosophical, historical, literary, artistic and semiotic subjects thus coexist with economics, statistics, design, computer engineering, Big Data analysis, just to name a few. In addition, dealing with communication involves the need to develop alongside theoretical knowledge also various practical skills, which in the course are assigned to different Laboratories each of which prepares to produce a specific communication product. Again there are different possibilities: from written texts to visual design, from websites to photography, from screenwriting to musical communication, etc. The Bachelor Degree Course also offers ample possibilities for customization of the curriculum, with as many as 4 courses to choose from a large number of optional subjects, each dedicated to a specific aspect of communication. Finally, there are several credits for educational activities to be carried out with alternative teaching modes such as seminars and workshops with professionals and companies.

What can you do with it?

There are two types of career outlets in the communication professions. On the one hand, there are the professions that have now become traditional, ranging from journalism to advertising, from public communication to publishing; on the other hand, there are a large number of new professions that until a few years ago were not considered as such. Think of the digital identity management that Social Media Managers deal with for entities, companies or personalities; the communicative processes to which Influencers give rise or the new forms of journalism that the Internet has made possible; and again the many forms of audiovisual communication that have arisen with YouTube and continue with other social. Of course, one can decide to continue one's studies by pursuing a Master Degree Course, which, in the case of Communication Studies, allows one to specialize in a specific field. The University of Palermo offers three courses in this regard:

• Public, Business and Advertising Communication;
• Cultural Heritage Communication;
• Communication for Food.

If the first offers a broad-based preparation on strategic communication, the last two focus on productive sectors towards which the Sicilian territory appears particularly suited and which have shown considerable economic growth in recent years: cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, and food and wine.